[Press Release] Using Behavioral Economics to Improve Self-Management for People with Diabetes on Staten Island

Staten Island Performing Provider System (SI PPS), an alliance of clinical and social service providers focused on improving the quality of care and overall health of Staten Island’s Medicaid and uninsured populations, announced today a new partnership with Wellth, a digital health company offering incentive-based behavioral change programs, to improve adherence to medications and care plans. The collaboration will help participants, who are considered to be at risk for complications due to diabetes, follow their care plans as prescribed.

“Our mission is to help people with chronic conditions make healthier decisions every day,” said Wellth CEO Matt Loper. “We are excited to partner with one of the most well-regarded and innovative PPSs in New York and offer this program to the benefit of members of the NYC community.”

SI PPS has supported numerous innovative and successful projects such as telemedicine, intensive care management, and peer recovery specialists. This innovative technology-based project with Wellth will align with the other initiatives funded by SI PPS under the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Program, and overall goals of the Medicaid Redesign Project.

This collaboration between SI PPS and Wellth will aim to reduce preventable hospitalizations from diabetes complications. It motivates participants to take their medications as prescribed and regularly monitor their blood glucose levels. Only 50% of the population follows their care plan as prescribed. This leads to negative health outcomes which lead to hospitalizations. It’s been difficult to improve and monitor how well someone can follow a care plan. By using mobile technology and behavioral economics, this promising new tool is available to help people make healthy decisions every day.

“Wellth’s evidence-based model for behavior change has the potential to significantly improve diabetes management for PPS members. We look forward to a successful partnership with this innovative company,” said Jessica Steinhart, SI PPS Director of Ambulatory Care Initiatives.

Wellth applies behavioral economics through mobile technology to achieve better patient adherence, engagement and health at scale. This improves care manager efficiency so they can deliver more effective, higher touch care. The Wellth app reminds patients to take their medications, test their glucose levels, weigh themselves, or complete other condition-specific prescribed activities. In return, participants receive a financial incentive. Wellth has already worked with several other predominantly Medicaid populations and demonstrated the ability to produce greater than 85% average medication adherence. Wellth’s platform improves care plan adherence for the most common chronic conditions, including diabetes, heart failure, COPD and asthma.

Partnerships like SI PPS and Wellth’s help both organizations improve the quality and value of care, and realize better healthcare for the residents of Staten Island.